NEW YORK _ Terry Collins can remember the night he became the franchise's leader in games managed as one when his team also took care of business on the field.
Collins managed his franchise record 1,013th game with the Mets on Saturday night in the 7-5 win over the Angels at Citi Field. Collins passed Davey Johnson to set the new record, and Jose Reyes also collected his 2,000th career hit with a first-inning single.
Michael Conforto paced the Mets by scoring three runs and reached base four times, and the Mets (18-23) will look for a sweep Sunday. The Mets held off a late rally with the Angels scoring three in the ninth and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate.
There was little acknowledgement of Collins' record-setting night before the game other than a graphic on the video board in center field, and it's the way Collins prefers it. The manager is reluctant to talk about him accomplishments and is not one for celebrating.
This is Collins' seventh seasons with the Mets, and he's admitted it would have been hard for him to envision himself at this point when he took the job in November of 2010. Collins has since led the team to its first division title in nine seasons, first World Series appearance in 15 years, and back-to-back playoff appearances.
"I've been very lucky to be here and be around the people I've been around," Collins said prior to the middle game of this three-game series. "The support I've gotten from the front office, from Fred (Wilpon), from Jeff (Wilpon), to Sandy (Alderson) on down, it's been amazing, you don't find that in a lot of places, any place, not just here."
Collins has repeatedly said he had to make personality adjustments to last this long with the Mets, and he's calmer than the one who resigned as manager of the Angels in 1999. Collins managed Houston from 1994-96, and the Angels from 1997-99.
"It was more that I (thought) failed when we'd lose a game so I wore it on my sleeves which affected the players," Collins said. "I think that nowadays, I've learned how to talk to the players better, learned how to communicate better and it's about them and getting them ready and it's not about me. I think that's helped a lot."
One of Collins' best moves as manager this season has been using Conforto as the leadoff hitter, and Conforto ignited the team's rallies in the first, third and fifth innings.
Conforto walked to start the first inning before advancing to second on Reyes' 2000th career hit, and later the game's first run on a fielder's choice by Neil Walker. Two innings later, he walked again before giving the Mets a 2-0 lead on Jay Bruce's sacrifice fly.
The Mets added two more in the fifth off Alex Meyer after Conforto doubled to start the inning and Reyes followed with a walk. Walker dunked a single into right field for a 3-0 lead, and a sacrifice fly to left field by T.J. Rivera boost the edge to four runs.
Reyes later added a two-run single in the Mets' three-run eighth inning that made it 7-2.
The run support backed Zack Wheeler, who allowed two runs in five-plus innings. Wheeler did not face much resistance against a feeble Angels lineup, but hurt himself by walking five batters. He surrendered four hits and struck out five spanning 99 pitches.
With the Mets leading 4-0 in the sixth, Wheeler walked the first two batters he faced before allowing a single, and then hit Jefry Marte with a pitch to force in a run.
Fernando Salas, who Collins said he wore out prior to the game, relieved Wheeler and allowed just one more to run to score to slice the lead to 4-2.
Wheeler has now yielded two earned runs or less in each of his last four starts, and has yielded just five earned runs in his last 272/3 innings (1.63 ERA).
The first five Angels reached in the ninth to cut the lead to 7-4 and load the bases with no outs for Mike Trout, but Addison Reed coaxed a sacrifice fly out of Trout. Reed loaded the bases with two outs but struck out Danny Espinosa to end the game.
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